Mike Boynton made the impossible, possible for Michigan after another key piece is secured

One of the biggest questions about Michigan basketball interim head coach Mike Boynton has been asked and answered.

Keeping the roster that Dusty May left behind when he took the job as the Dallas Mavericks head coach was the top priority for Boynton. It felt like keeping the team together, completely, was going to be nearly impossible, but after Quinn Costello, a McDonald's All-American, confirmed with Joe Tipton of On3 that he will play for Michigan basketball next season.

Boynton has made the impossible possible.

Michigan basketball has a championship-caliber roster

Of course, Boynton didn't do it alone. The fact that Michigan has strong NIL backing through the Champions Circle surely played a role. Many of these players already had deals in place, and maybe they were given extra compensation to guard off threats from the vultures.

Other programs were likely targeting Michigan's players. Trey McKenney's dad said that as many as five or six teams reached out to him to see if McKenney would be interested in leaving Michigan. He wasn't. McKenney was the first to confirm he was coming back. Elliot Cadeau did the same soon after, which got the ball rolling.

Once Cadeau was back, it helped with Moustapha Thiam, who wanted to play with an elite point guard, something that's easy to understand for the 7-foot-2 center. Boynton said that Cadeau will basically be the offensive coordinator this season.

That will be easier now that Thiam, J.P. Estrella, Jalen Reed, and Quinn Costello are in the mix. Costello is a 6-foot-10 stretch four. He can play some three, too, hopefully, but he's one of the best shooters in the entire 2026 class, which is why he was ranked No. 32 overall in the 247 Sports composite rankings.

Costello is a future pro. So are Brandon McCoy, Cadeau, although maybe not in the NBA, McKenney, Thiam, and Estrella. May might not be the head coach anymore, but all the talent is there to make another Final Four fun, as long as Boynton proves up to the task.

The former Oklahoma State head coach has a strong track record of defensive success, with three top-20 defenses in seven seasons, according to KenPom. He also coached the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.

L.J. Cason is the lone holdout. He's recovering from an ACL injury, so it would be surprising if he left, although he was as close to Dusty May as anyone. May is the reason he came to Ann Arbor.

Either way, Boynton did what few expected. Now, let's see if he can do it again.

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